Despite his affinity with schools in the north, Trustee Joe Allin is familiar with the majority of issues going on in all local schools and speaks on a number of occasions. He was elected by fellow trustees once again as chairman of the board and speaks eloquently and with purpose. He continues to challenge the Ministry of Education on certain issues, such as the need for a funding formula that recognizes the differences across the region, such as classroom sizes, which are smaller in the north than in the south. On top of his role as chairman, he sits on the audit committee.

Michael Barrett

Oshawa trustee

This year’s grade: A-

Last year’s grade: A-

Attendance: Standing Committee 6/10, Special Board 2/3, Board 5/10

Expenses: $1,385.16

Trustee Michael Barrett has missed more than a few meetings, but he continues to bring wisdom and knowledge to the board table, so we will not lower his grade. He remains president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and maintains a strong stance on public education. He makes an appearance at important events, such as the closure of Grandview Public School. He readily admits the need to address poverty in the school board must happen in Oshawa. His wife is a teacher in the system so he is able to see things from both a teacher’s and a trustee’s point of view. He also sits on the code of conduct committee at the board. If he continues to miss meetings his grade will drop next year.

Chris Braney

Pickering trustee

This year’s grade: A-

Last year’s grade: A-

Attendance: Standing Committee 10/10, Special Board 2/3, Board 10/10

Expenses: $5,399.63

Trustee Chris Braney was elected again as vice-chairman of the board. He keeps standing committee meetings running smoothly and provides insight on important issues, but doesn’t drag on. He seconded a motion about discouraging tobacco use by students, but he was able to finesse the motion to help it move more smoothly through the process. This is an example of his familiarity with board procedure and his respect for the process. He stays active in the community and the students loved it when he joined them at Pine Ridge Secondary School and sang and played guitar with them at a performance before the board.

Paul Crawford

Pickering trustee

This year’s grade: C

Last year’s grade: C-

Attendance: Standing Committee 9/10, Special Board 3/3, Board 7/10

Expenses: $1,018.69

Trustee Paul Crawford’s grade goes up this year because he has made an obvious effort to add more to conversations around the board table. He’s also improved his attendance significantly. Last year he only attended two of 10 standing committee meetings and this year he made it to nine. He asked staff to update the tobacco use policy within the board in order discourage use, and also speaks up on issues that don’t only pertain to Pickering schools, but all schools within the board. For example, he raised concerns about the possibility of false reports when staff gave a presentation on a new anonymous bully reporting tool. He sits on the audit committee.

Donna Edwards

Ajax trustee

This year’s grade: B

Last year’s grade: B

Attendance: Standing Committee 10/10, Special Board 3/3, Board 10/10

Expenses: $4,502.47

Trustee Donna Edwards continues to speak on issues pertaining to special education, an issue she’s passionate about and we’re pleased that she continues to sit on the Special Education Advisory Committee. She again accepted the nomination of vice chairwoman of the board as well as vice chairwoman of the standing committee. Although she lost both of those elections, this shows she is open to a leadership role. She was vocal this year about busing issues in Ajax and was attentive to concerned parents when routes and rates were changed. She was elected once again by trustees as a voting member of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and gives thorough updates to trustees.

Yvonne Forbes

Ajax trustee

This year’s grade: C+

Last year’s grade: C

Attendance: Standing Committee 10/10, Special Board 3/3, Board 10/10

Expenses: $3,691.17

One of our biggest concerns with Trustee Yvonne Forbes in the past was her remaining quiet at the board table. However, she has made a point of speaking up more this year, so her grade improves. She raises a number of concerns, including traffic and portables -- the latter a big issue for some of the schools in Ajax. She asks questions of staff and has a perfect attendance record. She can also be seen out and about in the community at events and public meetings. Trustee Forbes is also a voting member of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and sits on the board’s audit committee.

Kathleen Ann Hopper

Oshawa trustee

This year’s grade: A-

Last year’s grade: A-

Attendance: Standing Committee 8/10, Special Board 3/3, Board 9/10

Expenses: $2,304.09

Trustee Kathleen Hopper continues to speak on issues pertaining to Oshawa schools. She stays involved in important issues, and attended all four public meetings for the Accommodation Review process regarding the closure of Grandview and Athabasca Street Public schools. She got involved in the ‘Make a Difference: An Oshawa Early Years Initiative’, which included asking staff in Oshawa for support of the project. She sits on the Special Education Advisory Committee. We would like to see her consider stepping forward in the future for a leadership role at the board.

Larry Jacula

Oshawa trustee

This year’s grade: B

Last year’s grade: B

Attendance: Standing Committee 10/10, Special Board 3/3, Board 10/10

Expenses: $3,739.32

Trustee Larry Jacula remains vocal at board meetings. He stays involved in the community and attends school events, such as the closure of Grandview Public School, where he acknowledged the sadness of the closure, but remained positive about the changes to come. Trustee Jacula was vocal about the need to address poverty in Oshawa schools with the board’s new ‘Make a Difference: An Oshawa Early Years Initiative’, but made sure to note that it be done with tenderness so as to not single out kids in financial need. He accepted the nomination of chairman of the board. Although he lost, we’re pleased to see he’s interested in another leadership role. He sits on the supervised alternative learning committee and the code of conduct committee.

Carolyn Morton

Scugog trustee

This year’s grade: A-

Last year’s grade: A-

Attendance: Standing Committee 9/10, Special Board 3/3, Board 9/10

Expenses: $5.044.81

Trustee Carolyn Morton continues to bring issues from the north to the board table. Even though she was unsuccessful last year in getting trustees to agree to prolonging the decision to close Cartwright High School, she stayed involved in the process. She even helped organize the memorabilia and vowed to hang onto or find new homes for it. When classes had to be cut due to overly ambitious enrolment projections, Trustee Morton was realistic when talking about class and staff cuts and her expectations that school staff help students the best they can. Yet she defended staff by saying they did not sit on the information. She continues in her role as chairwoman of the education finance committee and sits on the supervised alternative learning committee.

Christine Winters

Whitby trustee

This year’s grade: B

Last year’s grade: B

Attendance: Standing Committee 9/10, Special Board 1/3, Board 9/10

Expenses: $1,105.28

Trustee Christine Winters brings concerns from residents to the board table on a regular basis, such as those regarding the way the board deals with criminal background check requirements for volunteers. She raises her own concerns to staff as well, such as classroom sizes. She is a big supporter of full-day kindergarten and programs for young learners. She stays involved in the community, attending school events such as the opening of Chris Hadfield Public School. She also brings forward the concerns of parents, as she sits on the parent involvement committee.

Kimberly Zeppieri

Whitby trustee

This year’s grade: B

Last year’s grade: B

Attendance: Standing Committee 8/10, Special Board 2/3, Board 7/10

Expenses: $1,064.58

Trustee Kim Zeppieri is vice-chairwoman of the standing committee and continues to care about her community. It’s evident when she brings concerns to the board, such as the issues residents had about the policy regarding criminal background checks for volunteers. Although we criticized Trustee Zeppieri for her seemingly extreme concern that the Town of Whitby attempted to sidestep the process of school naming procedure, it’s clear she cares about process and views all residents on a level playing field, whether they are a town councillor or not. Her full-time job in health and fitness allows her to advocate for students’ health at the board table. She sits on the supervised alternative learning committee.

Durham Catholic District School Board (expenses are for Jan. to Dec. 2013)

Theresa Corless

Oshawa trustee

This year’s grade: B

Last year’s grade: B

Attendance: Special Board 17/17, Board 13/13

Expenses: $2,432.13

Trustee Theresa Corless remains on top of issues that are of concern to Oshawa residents. She asks a lot of questions at the board; for example, she asked if security video systems could be extended to secondary schools. This year she brought forward a motion that staff investigate the possible uses of GPS systems in buses, making it easier and more convenient for parents and school officials to know if buses are running on schedule. She accepted nominations for both chairwoman of the board and vice chairwoman of the board. Although she lost both of these elections by trustees, it shows she is willing to take on a leadership role at the table. She sits on the finance committee and the parent involvement committee.

Christopher Leahy

Whitby trustee and chairman

This year’s grade: B

Last year’s grade: B

Attendance: Special Board 17/17, Board 13/13

Expenses: $8,430.84

Trustee Christopher Leahy is doing well in the role of chairman of the board. He was elected to the role by fellow trustees after former chairwoman Karen Valentine withdrew from the board. He has a good handle on procedure and helps meetings run smoothly. He is familiar with the rules of procedure and speaks well on issues relating not only to Whitby, but the entire board. He continues to raise concerns at meetings and ask questions of staff. He sits on the special education advisory committee and the finance committee.

Kathy LeFort

Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge trustee

This year’s grade: B

Last year’s grade: B

Attendance: Special Board 17/17, Board 13/13

Expenses: $6,495.96

Trustee Kathy LeFort is vice chairwoman of the board once again this year and continues to help meetings move along smoothly. The fact that trustees continue to vote her into the position shows they respect her leadership. She provides comment on a number of issues, and this year she was very vocal when Trustee Jim McCafferty brought up the notion of possibly removing the trustee seat in the north. She spoke very fondly of former Whitby Trustee Mary Ann Martin when she announced her resignation. She currently sits on a number of committees, including the special education advisory and finance committees.

Jim McCafferty

Pickering trustee

This year’s grade: A

Last year’s grade: A

Attendance: Special Board 17/17, Board 13/13

Expenses: $3,686.68

Trustee Jim McCafferty stays involved in his community and continues to fight for what he’s passionate about. He sits on a number of committees, including the Board Award of Merit Committee, the suspension appeal committee and the expulsion hearing committee. He was vocal when discussions around changing secondary school boundaries in Pickering came to the board. We were a little surprised that he brought up the possibility of removing a trustee seat in the north. However, he did state that he only did so since it wasn’t on the printed agenda and he wanted it to be discussed by the ministry’s deadline.

Janice Oldman

Ajax trustee

This year’s grade: C+

Last year’s grade: C+

Attendance: Special Board 17/17, Board 12/13

Expenses: $3,846.41

Trustee Janice Oldman is a veteran and is knowledgeable about the ways of the Durham Catholic board. However, she isn’t as vocal as we would like her to be. She did indicate she supported keeping a trustee position in the north when the issue came up for debate. We’re happy she has chosen to sit on a number of committees, including the audit committee, the suspension appeal committee and the expulsion hearing committee. However, we would like to see her speak more often at meetings and bring forward some motions.

John Rinella

Ajax trustee

This year’s grade: C

Last year’s grade: N/A

Attendance: Special Board 2/2, Board 4/4

Expenses: N/A

Trustee John Rinella has only been with the board since April 7 after successfully being elected by trustees as the new Ajax trustee, replacing Karen Valentine after her resignation. Therefore there isn’t much to grade him on, but he showed promise in his initial speech to the board, in which he said he has a strong commitment to maintaining a Catholic education system and feels the need to more effectively reach out to the Catholic community. He sits on the finance committee.

Mark McGowan

Whitby trustee

This year’s grade: C

Last year’s grade: N/A

Attendance: Special Board 4/4, Board 5/6

Expenses: N/A

Trustee Mark McGowan is very insightful. We start him off at a ‘C’ but hope he will continue to speak up on issues and provide good insight next year. He’s already spoken up on a number of issues, including the possibility of creating a standing committee, which the board currently doesn’t have. He also spoke up about maintaining the status quo with respect to the distribution of trustee seats. He sits on the finance committee.

Margaret Stack

Oshawa trustee

This year’s grade: C+

Last year’s grade: N/A

Attendance: Special Board 7/7, Board 12/12

Expenses: $1,969.68 (Sept. to Dec., 2013)

Trustee Margaret Stack is a newcomer to the Catholic board, but she’s been there since Sept. 30, being voted in by trustees after former Oshawa Trustee Stan Karwowski resigned. Trustee Stack is quite vocal at meetings. She moves and seconds a lot of motions. She spoke in favour of keeping a trustee seat in the north. We are pleased that she is already chairwoman of the finance committee and that she sits on other committees, including the parent involvement committee.

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(1) Comment

By My|JULY 04, 2014 10:56 AM

These Report Cards are ridiculous. Playing the guitar with a local band does not make one a good Trustee...it means you can play guitar. I'd far rather have a Trustee that stands up at every opportunity to fight for my child's education, and for a strong public education system across Ontario and Canada.